


Only the Beginning

by hellopenelope



Category: Letterkenny (TV)
Genre: M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but be warned!, there's a fight i don't know if that counts as a graphic depiction of violence??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 02:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20332795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellopenelope/pseuds/hellopenelope
Summary: Darry gets injured and Wayne brings him to the hospital. When the nurse asks him his relation to Darry, Wayne blurts out that he's his husband.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ritazien](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ritazien/gifts).

> hi!! letterkenny is my current hyperfixation and i just love the show and its characters so much i had to write something! english isn't my first language so i'm not that familiar with the slang but i hope my research comes through, let me know how you find it!
> 
> p.s. this fic is four chapters, but i've already written and edited all of them so i'll just post them all at once so you don't have to wait!

Wayne wipes his forehead with his arm to get rid of the sweat. He undoes his cuffs and pulls them towards his elbows and he even unbuttons the first two buttons of his shirt. He gets back to chorin’ since the chicken coop ain’t gonna build itself. Darry’s milking the cows close by, bucket after bucket. Wayne always loved the smell of fresh milk and if you wanna smell it, the best way is to get near Darry. Now, Wayne would never say that to Darry, but he thinks Darry’s the best guy in the business on account of his sweet words. He’s like a fucking cow whisperer. 

It’s too damn hot, but it’s not proper to work with no shirt on, so Wayne unbuttons his shirt just a bit more and pulls his sleeves as high as they go. 

‘’You doin’ this for me, bud?’’ Darry says with a shit-eating grin on his face. 

‘’Sort yourself out,’’ Wayne replies without much conviction. 

He wants to finish building the coop as soon as he can so he can finally put the chickens where they belong without being scared of them getting eaten by coyotes. The chickens are sharing the cows’ space now, have been for a couple of days, and the cows aren’t getting used to it. They get agitated and loud, that is until Darry shows up, because of course the cows are on their best behavior when Darry’s there. Never mind that Wayne cares about them and is gentle. He doesn’t have Darry’s magic hands to soothe the animals.

‘’Hey, Wayne?’’ Darry’s taking a break and leans on what Wayne’s already built. 

Wayne hums to show he’s listening, but he doesn’t stop working. 

‘’Tomato’s a fruit, right?’’ 

Wayne nods. Darry continues, ‘’Then how come ketchup’s not jam? I feel like ketchup should be tomato jam. It’s a fruit. Fruit makes jam.’’

Wayne stops working and stiffly stands straight.

‘’It’s not the same consistency, Darry. It’s not the same ingredients. There are three ingredients in ketchup,’’ he raises his pinky finger, ‘’one, tomatoes,’’ he raises his ring finger, ‘’two, sugar.’’

‘’There’s fruit n’ sugar in jam,’’ Darry interrupts. 

‘’Okay Darry. Darry, okay. But the third ingredient is,’’ he raises his middle finger along with the previous two fingers, ‘’vinegar. You put vinegar in your jams, Darry? You’d put vinegar in a silky, gelatinous fruity goodness and spread it on your toasts in the morning, right after your yoghurt?’’ 

Darry says nothing. It’s not like Darry to not answer, though, and he’s got a weird look on his face. Wayne raises an eyebrow at him.

‘’Water,’’ Darry manages to say right before he falls to the ground, unconscious. It’s not the first time Darry has gotten hurt in front of Wayne, yet the panic stays the same. Wayne runs to Darry and is about to wake him up when he sees the blood on Darry’s hair. Wayne touches it, as if to make sure his best bud is actually injured. He still tries to shout Darry’s name, just in case. Darry stays silent. 

Wayne picks him up bridal style and runs to the truck, puts Daryl in the passenger seat and drives as fast as he can without being a danger on the road until he gets to the hospital. He yells to get someone’s attention, anyone’s, because Darry’s limp in his arms and fuck is he scared. When a doctor asks him what happened to Darry, his mind is sharp; the adrenaline makes his mind clear. He tells the doctor Darry fainted due to the heat and hit his head on the corner of a block of wood. Wood corners are rough and full of nails and Wayne is sure as God’s got sandals that if Darry hit a nail he’s gonna scream. 

They put Darry on a stretcher. Wayne’s felt powerless before, when his parents died in that car crash and both he and Katy were crying on their parents’ bed or when Darry’s mom died of her own hand and Wayne knew that Darry didn’t believe him when he said it wasn’t Darry’s fault. The helplessness hits him now, too, as he sees Darry on that stretcher. When a nurse asks him who he is in relation to Darry, he blurts out, ‘’Husband.’’ 

It’s a good thing he did, because he’s allowed to follow them and make sure Darry isn’t alone. Besides, they would’ve known he was lying if he had said they were brothers. They look nothing alike, they don’t have the same last name and Darry’s file sure as shit doesn’t mention a next of kin. They might not live together, but Darry’s mail comes to Wayne’s house since Darry’s trailer doesn’t have a proper address. They don’t have rings, of course, but they could have taken them off to work on the farm.

The doctors take care of Darry; Wayne doesn’t see how and he’s even more anxious because he can’t smoke, but half an hour later they tell him Darry’s gonna be fine. He has a concussion, though, and should take it easy the next couple of days. The doctor asks Wayne if he will take care of Darry. Wayne doesn’t hesitate when he says yes. 

The doctor — Ortiz, according to her tag — goes on, ‘’We told him his husband brought him in. For a moment, he didn’t seem to remember he was married, but then he asked for you by name. That’s a good sign. Still, be attentive to things he might have forgotten so you can let us know when he visits us for a check-up in a week.’’ 

Wayne nods. He calls Katy with the news, then enters Darry’s room. Darry has a bandage over his head and he looks pale. Otherwise, it’s still Darry, with the same doe eyes and wide smile with a scarred lip. 

‘’Hey, there, super chief,’’ Wayne greets him. 

‘’My husband, the apple of my eye,’’ Darry says with a huge grin. 

Wayne squints at Darry. That doesn’t stop Darry from smiling. Wayne takes the chair in the corner of the room and brings it close to the bed before he sits in it. 

Darry hasn’t said his last word, though, ‘’How did you propose? Did we get married at the Ag Hall with the skids DJ-ing?’’ 

‘’Why’d you assume I’d be the one to propose?’’ Wayne shoots back. 

‘’’Cause you called me your husband,’’ Darry giggles. 

Wayne gets serious, ’’Wasn’t gonna leave you alone, Darry.’’ 

‘’Thanks, bud. I mean it.’’ 

‘’Ready to go home?’’ 

‘’Pitter Patter.’’

Wayne stays close to Darry as they walk to the car even though Darry says he’s fine and doesn’t need any help. Wayne remembers how fast Darry fell, though. Remembers the crack of Darry’s head against the wood, remembers when he saw and touched the blood on Darry’s head. And he stays close. 

Wayne drives to the farm. Darry seems tired. So is Wayne, now that the adrenaline is gone. They leave each other be as of a mutual accord. On the way, they stop at the pharmacy to get Darry’s pills.

When Wayne stops the truck in front of his house, Darry comes to, confused. 

‘’What are we doin’ here?’’ Darry wonders aloud.

‘’We’re at the farm, Darry.’’ 

‘’I know that, chief. I’m askin' why you’re not bringin’ me to my trailer.’’

Wayne lets out a sigh of relief. For a second, he thought Darry had forgotten about the farm altogether. That would not be a good sign. 

‘’Doctor says you should take it easy for a while. I’m gonna take care of ya,’’ Wayne explains.

‘’That’s 10-ply, bud,’’ Darry smiles. 

Wayne gets out of the truck, closes the door, lights a dart and leans on the open window so he can properly see Darry. He takes a drag and exhales. 

‘’It’s almost not worth thinkin’ about,’’ he says. Because, if he’s honest with himself, he’s always 10-ply when it comes to Darry. He’s good at hiding it. It wouldn’t be proper to be soft with your best bud for no reason, but fuck, when the light catches Darry’s blond curls and he smiles at him with that childish smile of his and looks at him with those blue eyes, he almost wants to tell Darry he never understood why girls didn’t pursue him more often. That’s about as far as Wayne can go before getting uneasy and refusing to dwell on it any further. Except that he thinks a lot about that time Squirrelly Dan said, ‘’Professor Tricia says sexualitys is fluid and more of a spectrums than a definite thing and that labels cans be confusing for some peoples.’’ And the more he thinks about it, the more he thinks it’s true. Fuck a duck.


	2. Chapter 2

Wayne sets up the guest room while Darry talks to Katy and Squirrelly Dan. He goes to Darry’s trailer by taking the back door so as not to bring attention to himself. He takes the clothes he thinks Darry will need and the photograph of Darry’s mom to put on the house fridge. He takes the yoghurt that’s left in Darry’s refrigerator, too, but he’ll get more at the grocery store tonight so that they don’t run out too soon. Wayne puts all of Darry’s stuff neatly folded in the drawers, save for the pajamas, which he puts on the bed. It’s almost time for supper when Wayne joins everyone in the kitchen. 

‘’Good thing Waynes was there to brings you to the hospitals, Darry,’’ Squirrelly Dan remarks when Wayne sits down at his usual chair. 

‘’Yeah, glad to see you’re okay,’’ Katy says sincerely, always prone to a bit of softness when one of her boys gets hurt. 

It feels like Squirrelly Dan and Katy made a point to wait until Wayne was there before they talked about the incident. Sure enough, Wayne finds out why when Katy continues with a smirk, ‘’Kinda angry you didn’t ask me to be your best man, big brother.’’ 

‘’Couldn’t leave him alone in the hospital. Figure it out.’’ 

As always, Darry’s giggling.

Katy gives them all a plate of chicken pot pie and Darry’s digging in before Katy even has a chance to sit at the table. 

‘’You always gives me a good meal at the ends of the days and that’s what I appreciates about you, Miss Katys,’’ Squirrelly Dan says.

‘’Is that what you appreciate about me?’’ Katy answers, per usual. 

‘’Take about 20 percent off there, Squirrelly Dan,’’ Wayne adds.

‘’Yep, oh looks, the ground.’’

The rest of the evening goes smoothly, at least as smoothly as an evening with Katy, Darry, Squirrelly Dan and Wayne can go. Squirrelly Dan leaves after supper and Katy follows not long after for her first date with Bonnie Mcmurray. She tries to play it cool, but Wayne knows her too well. She’s nervous. Before she leaves, Wayne sets her aside.

‘’You’re all good,’’ he says simply. He’s never been talented for heart to hearts. He thinks about his feelings a lot, introspection being a perk of working on a farm all day. But when your sister’s as shut off as you when it comes to feelings, sometimes you gotta initiate the talk; open the dam and let the water flow.

She gives him a small smile, ‘’I really like her, you know? I want it to work.’’ 

‘’Ain’t nobody you can’t woo, Katy. You’ve got this,’’ Wayne nods assuringly. 

‘’Yeah,’’ Katy laughs softly, ‘’Thanks.’’ 

Wayne joins Darry on the couch. Canadian Pickers is on, one of Wayne’s favourite shows. Darry doesn’t mind much for that show and the fact that Darry probably put it on for him makes him suppress a small smile. They sit companionably with a little space between them, making remarks every now and then.

‘’Fuck, I love this show. Scott and Sheldon are so nice. Every time they visit someone they’re always polite,’’ Wayne says near the end of the episode. 

‘’Like you,’’ Darry grins. 

‘’That’s the softest thing you ever said, bud.’’

‘’As soft as calling me your husband?’’

Wayne abruptly turns his head towards Darry. Fuck, does Darry look so happy anytime he teases Wayne about this. 

‘’You ever gonna stop milking this cow?’’ Wayne asks, trying to sound annoyed. Thing is, he’s not, really. 

‘’Never. Milking cows is what I do for a living,’’ Darry answers, grinning wider. 

Wayne gets up suddenly and comes back with a new bandage. Darry lets him get at it. Wayne softens Darry’s curls and carefully puts them out of the way so that he can put rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad to put on the wound. Darry hisses. Wayne removes the cotton pad; there’s a little bit of blood on it. When that’s done, Wayne gets a gauze pad on the wound and puts another bandage on Darry’s head, conscientiously not squeezing it too tight. 

‘’Could you —‘’ Darry starts. Wayne interrupts him by giving him two pills and a glass of water. Darry swallows them, grateful that he can have a reason to be silent as he thinks of Wayne anticipating his needs. If that’s not 10-ply, he doesn’t know what is.

Wayne sits back on the couch with a Puppers, Gus at his feet. Apparently, the pills make Darry sleepy, because he falls asleep on Wayne’s shoulder in minutes. Wayne is acutely aware of his shoulder. He risks looking at Darry, mouth open and deeply breathing. It makes Wayne inappropriately soft. He stays still for a while after that, trying to focus on the television instead of Darry sleeping on his shoulder. Feels weirdly comfortable to be in this position. He looks at the clock some time later and fuck, Darry’s been asleep on his shoulder for over an hour already without him noticing. 

He holds Darry’s head tenderly and puts it on the couch. He gets up and takes Darry in his arms, bridal style, to bring him up to the guest room. He’s about to take the stairs when Katy comes home. When she sees Darry in Wayne’s arms, she says, ‘’Could’ve fooled me.’’ 

Wayne doesn’t take the bait. Instead, he asks how her date went. The smile that grows on Katy’s face is all the answer he needs. They bid each other good night and Wayne goes up the stairs, still holding Darry. When Wayne puts Darry on the bed, Darry stirs a bit and flutters his eyelids, getting used to the light in the hallway. 

‘’Your pajamas are on the pillow. I ain’t putting them on you,’’ Wayne says. 

Darry nods sleepily, but doesn’t grab his pajamas. He doesn’t even get under the covers. Wayne pushes a curl out of Darry’s eyes, then realizes what he’s just done and leaves as fast as his legs can take him without running.

He goes outside to light a dart, but it’s not enough to calm him down, so he gets into his truck mindlessly. He finds himself at the grocery store and sighs. He buys Darry’s favourite yoghurt and drives back home. 

When he’s in bed, the cracking sound of Darry’s head resurfaces. Darry’s been by his side for almost as long as he can remember. Darry’s a constant. He’s always there to complete his sentences and his jokes, to help, laugh, talk. Wayne’s no stranger to loss. But when he lost his parents, he held onto Darry so tight it never occurred to him that Darry might go, too. Maybe he overreacted today, maybe he got too scared when Darry fell unconscious, especially considering it’s just a concussion and a minor head injury. Still puts things in perspective, ‘cause he knows there’s no Wayne without Darry. And ain’t that fucking scary. 


	3. Chapter 3

Darry comes to and realizes he slept in his barn clothes. He hops in the shower and borrows the shampoo there, the one with a shamrock logo on it. It smells so much like Wayne that Darry puts a little more shampoo than he needs to in his hair, just to keep the smell alive. Much better than Katy’s coconut shampoo.

He dries himself off and puts his pajamas on, ‘cause it’s no use trying to work. Wayne would stop him before he got out the door and remind him of his doctor’s orders. His wet curls cling to his eyes and he pushes them away, which makes him remember Wayne’s hand doing the same the night before, at least he thinks. He was practically asleep and could be imagining things. 

He catches the clock once he’s downstairs. It’s almost noon. How the fuck did he sleep that much? No one’s in the kitchen, Katy’s probably out with someone and Wayne’s chorin’ with Squirrelly Dan. He yawns and walks to the fridge. 

His mother’s photograph stares at him. He usually gets a bit soft when he sees her, even after all these years, but he’s softer than normal today. The fact that Wayne went to his trailer, got him clothes and thought to bring this and put it where Darry was sure to find it and feel at home, well — that just means a lot. He opens the fridge and finds what looks like enough yoghurt to feed a fucking army, all his favourite brand and his favourite flavours. It hits him right in the heart. He’s warm and fuzzy and for a moment he forgets this isn’t his actual home. ‘Cause truth be told, Wayne’s felt like home for a long time now. 

He gets two cups of berry yoghurt out and heats some leftover pancakes that have his name written on it by Wayne. He’s about to start eating his second cup of yoghurt when Wayne comes in for lunch. 

‘’You need to fucking cut your hair. It’s in your eyes,’’ Wayne says as a form of greeting. 

Alright, maybe Darry didn’t imagine Wayne’s hand on his forehead yesterday. He’s pleased at that and doesn’t quite know what to do with it. 

‘’Nice to see you too, big shoots,’’ Darry grins. Wayne groans, fetches Darry’s pills and hands them to him. 

He eats fast and leaves soon after, ‘’Back to chorin’.’’

The rest of the week goes by the same way: Darry spends his days waiting for Wayne to finish chorin’ to watch the television on the couch. It’s the best part of his day, especially when their knees touch, ‘cause Darry knows Wayne doesn’t touch people unless he means to. Sometimes, Darry lets his mind wander to what they could do on this couch if the circumstances were different and fuck he hopes Wayne doesn’t notice it when Darry’s pants get just a little tighter. He’s usually alone when he thinks about those sorts of things. 

He reads a lot, anything he can find in the house and it helps pass the time. His energy’s coming back fast, though, and he can’t stand staying idle.

One morning, as he’s smoking a dart, he yells, ‘’I’m bored!’’ loud enough for Wayne to hear in the fields. 

Wayne shouts back, ‘’Do I look like a fucking magician at a kid’s birthday party? Entertain yourself!’’ 

Darry laughs, but it’s not loud enough for Wayne to hear. He yells again, ‘’Only way you’d be at a kid’s birthday party would be to push them off a bike!’’ 

‘’Fuck, I could watch kids fall off bikes all day! I don’t give a shit about your kid!’’ 

Just the thing Darry needed to hear to lift his spirits. He laughs loudly. Although Wayne’s a bit far away, Darry swears he sees him smile. 

One afternoon two days later, Darry puts music on and starts dancin’ all around the living room until he’s sweaty. Good thing he doesn’t need a bandage anymore, ‘cause it’s hot enough in the house without the AC and he’s already discarded his t-shirt in his room. Can’t remove his pants, too — Wayne’s voice tells him that’s not proper —, but he rolls them and goes back to dancin’.

The music’s so loud Darry doesn’t hear Wayne come in. He happens to twirl and face Wayne. If Darry didn’t know any better, he would’ve said Wayne was staring, but Wayne says it’s not polite to stare. Squirrelly Dan’s not with him; must have already gone home.

‘’Are ya gonna dance?’’ Darry teases, expecting Wayne to decline. Still worth a shot. They’ve danced together before, when they were drunk, and it was fun. Darry still remembers Wayne’s eyes widening and twinkling, a shy smile on his face as they pretended to know how to dance the salsa at Modean’s a couple of months ago. 

‘’I’m not dancing with you until you put a fucking shirt on,’’ Wayne replies, ‘cause fuck, Darry’d know for sure how Wayne’s imagining him if he gets close enough. 

Darry laughs. He leaves the music on and goes upstairs. He’s about to go in the guest room when he gets a better idea. 

He goes back to the living room in one of Wayne’s plaid shirts. The shirt’s way too big and buttoning it would take too long, so it’s more of a vest, but still, Wayne’s expression is worth the hassle. 

‘’Fuck, bud!’’ 

Darry laughs, ‘’Hey, now we don’t all got your muscles, but I think I can still make it work.’’ 

Wayne swallows. _You sure as fuck make it work, bud_, he thinks. Seeing Darry in his shirt is doing things to him. Things he’s not sure Darry would like. Wayne smiles shyly and Darry thinks, _There’s that shy smile_.

Darry resumes his dancin’, this time near Wayne, encouraging him to join the dance. Wayneresists a bit at first, then he moves exceptionally stiffly. Wayne’s always been stiff, Darry knows — not _that_ kind of stiff, that’s something Darry unfortunately wouldn’t know —but he’s stiffer than usual. Darry takes his hand and twirls and Wayne starts to loosen up. A much slower song begins. Darry stops, gets closer to Wayne and puts his hands on Wayne’s shoulders. 

‘’Darry, that’s how 12 year olds dance at their first prom.’’

‘’What’s it to ya?’’

‘’Doyouwannaknowwhat if you’re gonna slow-dance, better do it right. You put your right hand on my shoulder, I put my left hand on your waist, and hold your left hand in my right hand. That’s the proper way to do it.’’ 

Darry happily obliges. They sway slowly; Darry even tentatively leans his head against Wayne’s chest. Wayne doesn’t push him away, so he leans his head in a firmer way. Towards the end of the song, Wayne breaks their silence, ‘’Did ya use my shampoo?’’ 

Darry looks up at Wayne with a dopey smile, ‘’Yeah. Smelled better than Katy’s. Hope that’s okay.’’ 

Wayne swallows hard and nods. It’s more than okay by him. His eyes are twinkling. Darry hopes that means what he thinks it means or, at least, what he wants it to mean. They look into each others’ eyes a beat too long to be appropriate, frozen in place, until they hear the door open and promptly break apart. 

Katy eyes Wayne, then Darry, then back to Wayne. She squints and brings her attention back to her cellphone. 

Darry stops the music. 

Katy greets them, ‘’Hey guys, how about pizza for supper?’’ 

‘’I fucking love pizza,’’ Darry replies. 

‘’Kay,’’ Wayne says. 


	4. Chapter 4

On the way to the check-up at the hospital, Darry can’t resist teasing Wayne. ’’What are ya gonna do to sell this story, super chief? You gonna kiss me passionately in front of Doctor Ortiz? Gonna call me ‘sweetie’? Hold my hand?’’ 

Wayne growls a low ‘’Hmmmmm’’ as a response and blushes. He holds the door open for Darry, though, and puts his arm over Darry’s chair when they sit down. Wayne does that sometimes. Darry wouldn’t think much of it except that Wayne is actually touching his shoulders. When Wayne stretches his arm over Darry or Squirrelly Dan’s chairs, he never touches. When the doctor calls them in, Wayne rubs Darry’s thigh and pats it softly before getting up. Then, he motions for Darry to enter the room first and puts his hand on Darry’s back. Darry tries not to dwell on it, but every time Wayne touches him, he can feel it down to his bones.

‘’Hi Daryl, how are you?’’ asks the doctor. 

‘’Good, Wayne made me pancakes for bekfast today n’ you?’’

The doctor shoots a concerning look at Wayne. Arms crossed, he shakes his head nonchalantly, ‘’He can’t say the word ‘breakfast’. Can’t say the word ‘basket’ either. Darry?’’

‘’Bakset.’’  
  
‘’Attaboy.’’ 

The doctor seems disoriented for a second before she reasserts herself, ‘’Right. Well, how have you been this past week?’’

Darry thinks of all the moments he’s spent with Wayne and can only say, ’’Good,’’ with a huge grin. 

She asks follow-up questions to which Wayne often answers since Darry doesn’t know what to say half of the time. Darry thanks him by putting his hand on Wayne’s thigh. Doctor Ortiz assures them that everything’s alright with Daryl and to come by if anything changes. Before they leave, she seems to hesitate and choose not to speak. Wayne catches her expression and isn’t about to let it slide. Not when it comes to Darry. 

‘’Somethin’ wrong?’’ Wayne says seriously.

‘’Oh! No, no. I was just about to say that your complicity is beautiful to see. You can really feel how much you love each other. I don’t usually say things like that, on account of it being inappropriate. Sorry,’’ she smiles in an attempt to diffuse the tension. 

Wayne almost freezes and shares a cautious look with Darry. Darry gets them out of the pickle, ‘’That’s sweet, ain’t nothing to apologize for.’’ He can’t help but smile genuinely. Wayne nods.

That evening, Wayne and Darry rally Katy and Squirrelly Dan to celebrate Darry’s recovery. Darry’s in the shower while Wayne is in the kitchen, Gus in his lap, with Katy. Squirrelly Dan will meet them at Modean’s later. 

‘’How’s the husband?’’ Katy asks with a sly smile. 

‘’Excited to go out tonight,’’ Wayne replies. He doesn’t correct Katy. He hadn’t corrected Tanis either when she had referred to Darry as his boyfriend. He wonders if they noticed. 

‘’No shit.’’ 

Wayne pets Gus and tells him how much of a good boy he is, which prompts Katy to say, ‘’You talk to Darry like that?’’ 

‘’Katy!’’ Wayne suddenly raises his head towards the window so as not to see her. 

‘’I know: ‘It’s not polite to kiss and tell’.’’

‘’There’s nothing to kiss and tell about.’’ 

‘’Yet,’’ Katy smirks. 

‘’Katy!’’ 

‘’You know, if you were to shoot, I don’t think you’d miss.’’

‘’What am I, a fucking hockey player? Figure it out.’’

‘’Alright. I’m just sayin’.’’

‘’Okay Katy. Katy okay. Okay Katy.’’

Katy tries and fails to hide her smile, but she drops the subject. 

Darry joins them soon after, in proper bar attire, which means he’s not wearing his barn clothes for once. He put a bit of the cologne Wayne got him, too. 

‘’Look who’s out of their barn clothes,’’ Katy remarks with a chuckle. 

‘’Can’t wear my barn clothes everywhere,’’ Darry answers, eyes on Wayne as he mirrors the words he’s heard Wayne say over and over. 

Wayne nods.

Squirrelly Dan’s already there when they enter Modean’s. They sit next to him and wait for Bonnie to come by. 

‘’Bonnie Mcmurray,’’ Katy and Squirrelly Dan say together. Darry usually says it as well, but he doesn’t this time. He wonders if Wayne notices.

Bonnie’s customary greeting towards Wayne changes tonight. Instead, she says, ‘’Hi, Katy,’’ with that pretty smile. Katy can’t resist and smiles back in a dopey way. When Bonnie hands Katy a beer, their hands intertwine for a moment. 

‘’Bonnie, how’re ya now?’’ Wayne asks conventionally. 

‘’Good, n’ you?’’ 

‘’Oh, not s’bad.’’ 

They drink and exchange pleasantries with other Letterkenny folks, from Gail, Bonnie and Glen to Mcmurray, the skids and even the jocks. Everyone seems genuinely glad to see Darry out and about. 

Of course, Darry drinks way too much and falls asleep on Wayne’s shoulder. Now, Wayne’s never been one for PDA, but he doesn’t truly mind that Darry’s resting on his shoulder, apart from Mcmurray’s side glance. He can feel prying eyes, but no one says a word; no one seems to care that much, and if they do, they don't dare to say anything.

That is, until some degens from up country hurl homophobic slurs at Wayne and Darry. Wayne abruptly turns his head towards Squirrelly Dan and Katy. Katy nods and takes Darry’s head in her hands.Wayne doesn’t realize that Darry’s just woken up. 

Wayne takes a shot and gets up rapidly. He’s ready. ‘’What’s it to ya?’’ He asks, taking a step forward. 

‘’No fighting in the bar!’’ Gail yells. Wayne walks out of the bar and waits for the degens to follow him. His back is to the door and he lights up a dart and has the time to smoke half of it before the three degens get out. He doesn’t see Darry, Katy, Squirrelly Dan or the rest of Letterkenny. He flicks his dart away. This fight feels different, more important now that he fights for both him and Darry. He undoes his sleeves. 

Seeing your buddy get in a fight will sober you up pert near immediately, Darry’ll tell you that.

One degen takes his shot. Wayne swerves and serves him a right hook that sends the other guy down. Another guy jumps on his back and Wayne is angry at how disloyal that is when he lets himself fall on his back to make the guy hit the concrete. He gets up and checks to make sure the guy stays on the ground when the third one hits him square in the face and he falls so quick he doesn’t have time to soften the drop with his arms. He gets on all fours and spits blood. He gets back up and gives the degen an uppercut. All three of them lie on the ground, groaning. The first one to attack gets back up but Wayne pushes him down, straddles him and punches him in the face over and over and over. He hears some yelling but he doesn’t stop until he feels Darry’s hands on him and his voice saying, ‘’Hey! Hey, it’s over, Wayne. He’s out.’’ Wayne lets the guy go, panting.

Squirrelly Dan gives Wayne a bottle of whiskey. He takes a swig and spits the remainder of the blood in his mouth. He takes another swig and swallows.

‘’Come on. I’ll fix you up,’’ Darry says before spitting on the ground. Wayne follows him to the truck. Katy and Squirrelly Dan go back inside, followed by everyone else. 

Wayne sits in the driver’s seat while Darry takes the passenger seat. Darry opens the glove compartment and takes the first-aid kit. He gently cleans Wayne’s bloody knuckles. Wayne barely winces. Darry then carefully takes Wayne’s head in his hands and cleans the wound on Wayne’s brow.

‘’You’re gonna have a shiner and probably a scar on your brow, but that’ll just give you more charm,’’ Darry kids, trying to relieve the atmosphere. Wayne scoffs. 

‘’You know,’’ Darry continues, ‘’I’ve seen you fight more times than I can count, and I know you always win, but fuck, it’s still scary.’’ 

‘’I had to,’’ Wayne explains, ‘’Ain’t nothing to worry about.’’

‘’Texas sized 10-4. I still worry, though.’’ 

Wayne sighs softly. It was easier to pretend he was taking care of Darry because of the injury, but Darry isn’t sick anymore and Wayne still wants to take care of him. He’d fight anyone for Darry. Wouldn’t ever hesitate. And Darry’s taking care of him now, just told him he cared about him and it makes his heart beat fast ‘cause he never knew another person’s closeness could feel this good.

‘’Hey, eyelash. Make a wish,’’ Darry says unexpectedly as he brushes his finger against Wayne’s cheek.

Wayne looks at him for a second. He knows what he’s supposed to say. It’s always been ‘’Wish you weren’t so fucking awkward, bud.’’ But he can’t say it. Not this time. Wayne’s eyes bore into Darry’s and he leans in. Wayne crashes his lips into Darry’s and it’s soft and raw and true. He puts his hands in Darry’s hair and Darry puts his hands on Wayne’s jaw, deepening the kiss until they’re out of breath and part. 

‘’Fuck, bud,’’ Darry says, short-winded. Wayne smiles and gives Darry another kiss, this one softer and quicker. 

‘’Is that your wish?’’ Darry inquires. Wayne nods. 

‘’I’m glad it came true,’’ Darry adds. 

‘’That’s 10-ply,’’ Wayne replies. 

‘’You bet your ass it is.’’  
  
Wayne laughs softly and Darry loves it, loves that Wayne laughs just for him and he leans in to kiss Wayne again. The kiss heats up again and they both get a bit handsy, but Wayne stops ‘cause they’re right outside of Modean’s and anyone could walk out and see them and Wayne doesn’t mind people seeing him with his sweetie, but he’d rather have some privacy when things get more serious. It ain’t easy to stop kissing Darry, though, fuck. He asks Darry if he wants to go home and Darry grins as he answers favorably. It takes all Wayne has to drive the speed limit when Darry's teasing him through his pants and all he can think of are Darry’s hands and mouth touching him everywhere and how it’s only the beginning. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for taking the time to read this! you can reach me at modeans3.tumblr.com if you want to :-)


End file.
